Realistic Healthcare- Medicare for all doesn't cut it

[wilt the stilt]

As a person who has owned his own business and had payed healthcare out of his own pocket I have always been for some sort of single payer.

i turn 65 this year and I started to look at medicare. It is not a panacea. It is a single instance system each person is to him or her self. At my income level i will be paying almost $390 and month without prescription coverage. I take no meds so I'll get a low prescription.

Multiply that by 4 and you are at $1600. That is practically what insurance costs now. How do we get there realistically?

[Kip Humphrey]

1. You might start by reading Bernie's plan which

eliminates deductibles, co-pays, premiums, the need for supplemental insurance, uncovered body parts like the brain, teeth, and eyes, while providing full prescription coverage.

https://berniesanders.com/issues/medicare-for-all/

[wilt the stilt]

2. His can't be paid for

If it did Vermont would have gone to it.

[Kip Humphrey]

4. Too bad you are misinformed and self defeatist...

you want what Bernie offers but you have convinced yourself you can't have it. BTW, Bernie does demonstrate how he will pay for it and that plan has been reviewed and approved by 130+ economists... or you can continue to believe David Brock, your choice but I feel kind of bad for you. As for Vermont, a state of 300,000 trying to implement a policy that, by the actuarial numbers, requires a nation (i.e., a large population base) to implement is indeed problematic.

But you know what? You already know all this so take your lame excuses and go for what you have and be happy to settle for the crumbs your corporate socialism has thrown you. ...Or get off your butt and support Bernie Sanders. Come to Philly July 23-25 and vote with your body.

[wilt the stilt]

9. I am hardly misinformed

when Anthem called me they were blown away how much I knew and how each company charged. I have paid for my own insurance for years as I own my own business. how about you. Have you been on the open market?

[1939]

3. You pay $390 a month for Part B because you make too much money

The little secret is that Medicare Part B for seniors is "means tested" so that most pensioners pay (as I recall) $99 per person per month but, depending on your income the previous year, that could range up to $399. It sounds like you are at the max income level for Part B. Part A (Hospitalization) is "free" to all pensioners. Since most seniors qualify for the minimum, there hasn't been much discussion of this.

I am pretty sure that "free" Medicare for All will have a similar range of costs to the recipients where high income individuals will pay more.

[1939]

5. Here are some numbers

"While most people pay the standard amounts for premiums and deductibles, some people will pay more, depending on their income. The more you make, the higher your likelihood will be for paying more than the standard amount. The extra fee per month is called the Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA). How much more can you expect to pay if you fall outside of the standard range? The Medicare website offers a handy chart on the rates for those with higher incomes.

Individuals who make more than $85,000 per year up to $107,000 per year will pay $146.90 per month for Medicare Part B premiums.

If you earn more than $107,000 and up to $160,000 per year as an individual, then you’ll pay $209.80 per month for Part B premiums.

Individuals who earn more than $160,000 and up to $214,000 per year will pay $272.70 in Medicare Part B premiums per month.

If you earn more than $214,000 per year, your Medicare Part B premium will be $335.70 per month."

[angstlessk]

6. These people who come in here with their monkey wrenches

don't stand a chance with such informed DU'ers

[wilt the stilt]

8. actually I will pay $243

and I intend to work until 70. With plan f I will pay an additional $145 to $155.
In reality i don't think it should be means tested. Why should I be punished for continuing to make money. If you get a family of four and you multiply it out then it is close to $1600.

We need to come up with a system that works for everyone.

[zalinda]

10. You may pay a little more for a few years

but once the kinks get worked out, it will be less. The term Medicare for all is just a 'symbol'. The vast majority of people know what Medicare is, and is okay with it. Less people know about Single Payer Health care or understand it, so it will be a harder sell. That is what it is all about. I'm pretty sure that health care won't be means tested, although I'm sure there will be companies that will want people to buy 'premium' health insurance, so that they don't have to mingle with the unwashed masses.

All they would have to do to get the ball rolling is to offer a single payer option, in all the health insurance options available now. I don't know if you know that even Medicaid is now serviced by insurance companies. It is a nightmare to go through all the stuff they send you at 65.

Z

[wilt the stilt]

11. I'm getting about 4 calls a day on this

and I try to answer many of them are robo calls.

[Wounded Bear]

7. If Congress properly funded it, it would...

It would cost less per year than probably the Iraq War costs in a month.